ROOT CROPS. 251 



earlier in April the better, if the land is in good order. Plant 

 level, as they can be cultivated easier thus than on ridges. 

 Make the rows two feet apart. Set the drill so as to drop four 

 to six seeds to the foot, as it is easy to thin the crop, and a good 

 stand is desirable. By planting in rows, this distance apart, 

 most of the cultivation can be done with a horse after the plants 

 are six inches high. Attend to the thinning as soon as the 

 plants are large enough so that you can get hold of them with 

 the thumb and finger. Every day's delay in thinning will 

 reduce the yield of the crop. Leave the plants from eight to 

 twelve inches apart in the row. It is not nearly so much work 

 to cultivate a beet crop as onions, for they grow rapidly, and in 

 a few weeks shade the ground so completely as to keep down 

 all weeds. 



The crop should be gathered before the weather is coid 

 enough to freeze them, for if frosted they will not keep. The 

 tops should be removed either by twisting them off or by cut- 

 ting, care being taken not to cut the beets, as it will cause 

 them to rot. They may be stored either in the cellar or in 

 pits ; in the latter case they must be as well protected as pota- 

 toes. Mangolds undergo a ripening process after they are gath- 

 ered, which makes them more healthful and nutritious, a part of 

 the starch being converted into sugar; and it is, therefore, best 

 that they should be kept till the latter part of the winter. In 

 feeding roots of any kind, begin with a moderate quantity, and 

 increase gradually. When only a limited quantity are grown 

 they may be cut with a spade, but where grown largely a good 

 root cutting machine will pay. The dairyman or farmer who is 

 feeding cattle for beef in winter who gives beets a fair trial 

 will be likely to continue their cultivation. 



Carrots. This root is greatly esteemed for feed both for 

 horses and milch cows. A few fed daily to a horse or other 

 grain-fed animal aids the digestion and makes the hair glossy, 

 and the color of the milk and butter is greatly improved by 

 feeding the cows on carrots. 



Every thing that has been said about selecting clean soil, 

 giving thorough preparation, and clean culture to other root 



